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FreeHand Technique

Although recently named and popularized by drummer Johnny Rabb, this is actually a technique that’s been around for quite a while. I’ve been working with it since the 70s and I call it the rim bounce or rim fulcrum technique. But FreeHand has a nicer ring to it and actually explains what the technique is all about. It allows you to play things that normally take two hands with only one, thus giving you a Free Hand to add whatever you want to the mix!

I find it extremely useful especially for those who have a hard time keeping steady single-handed sixteenth-notes going on the hi-hat the “legit” way! It also, of course, makes for a cool “look ma one hand!” show-off gimmick during a drum solo!

If you’re not familiar with it: As your hand and forearm move down toward the drumhead you strike the head and rim at the same time while maintaining contact with the rim of the drum. Then, when you pull the stick back up to the original starting position it forces the tip back down which strikes the drumhead a second time. So the stick strikes the drum once as you arm move down and once again as your arm moves back up, which gives you two strikes on the head for each down/up motion of your arm. Pretty cool!

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